We have many meaningful exchanges my daughter and I this is just one of them and I want everyone to know about this. As a parent watching this video I was fearful for her, I was touched by her words, and I was thrilled that I have raised her to be so strong.

My child along with many others had strong feelings about this and began to protest against this group of people whom seemed to me to be more so radicals of this faith. Standing at a podium they faced each other with different views and values. Strong views on religion, abortion and homosexuality, which seemed to be the most heated and flared the most tempers, my daughter included.

She was simply taken aback at the accusations given by this group and how they could logically come to the conclusions they had. Having her turn at the podium and forcefully spoke to her opponent about her faith. Proudly stating she practices Wicca and was appalled that they could emphatically insist she was going to their Hell because of it.

Quickly becoming a debate my daughter sparked an onslaught of religious bible quotes being hurled at her. Not being intimidated she continued to speak of her peaceful religious views with much conviction. The crowd was filled with insults and anger towards her. Still she stood there, the main speaker was red in the face and spit was spraying form his mouth. Still she stood there, head held high. I was very proud of her depth of character and her willingness to be heard.

Continuing she brought to the stage many issues about rape and abortion, about homosexuality, she stood by her convictions unwavering she debated with them and stayed calm amongst an unruly situation. Then stepped down to allow the next person to express themselves and this went on for several hours.

She spoke to me of looking into the faces of these people she said, they seemed to be brainwashed, the look in their eyes seemed empty and programmed. I looked at her and simply stated, the will of your mind is not always your own. She seemed confused by that and then I continued to explain to her the way you look at life the values that you hold and the freedom of choice you are given is based widely on how you were taught as a child where you were raised and what kinds of outside influences you have.

I saw the disgust in her eyes and continued again, these cannot be taken for granted. The fact that as breathing and thinking human beings we should all be able to know what is right and what is wrong, however that really depends on what you have been taught to be right or wrong.

Logic would tell you the difference! She exploded at me. Yes, logic is the defining moment that is sometimes not attainable by some, I expressed to her that not only can she look at this group of people with disgust and anger but also she needs to look at them for what they are.

This is a group of same minded individuals who are as different as you and I and are the same as you and I. My daughter you have been raised by me and taught throughout your childhood that there is no one God, no Heaven or Hell. I gave you the views that you are holding in comparisons to theirs.

Just as they were taught the views they have. I also taught you that we are judged by these views and that we are a minority in this part of the world, and to respect others religious convictions.

I know how disappointing it is to see a group of people who condemn others and how hurtful those charges can be.

Bringing up an incident that had happened to her as a small child of the tender age of 6, a small group of children started pointing at her screaming Witch at her over and over again. I had been close by and chased the children off simply by my presence. Given the opportunity I would have loved to have sat them down and explained exactly what the meaning of Witch is.

This, my dear child is exactly what they are trying to do, express the views they feel to be right, to you.

Now our views may not be the same and I don’t agree with pushing their religion on you but I understand how you could want someone to understand what they hold dear.

Many years it took me to come to peace with this, maturity and life experiences allow me to live and let live. I have struggled with raising you in this religion, this faith I have an unwavering commitment to. I integrated our holidays to correspond with school celebrations so you wouldn’t be so confused or made as an outcast.

I explained all of the religions to you and what their beliefs are so you could have an open-minded view and choose your own path. A path that suits you, that feels right for you.

We all need something to have faith in, something to carry us when we are feeling alone or lost. Remembering our discussions on Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Kabala, and the different paths of witchcraft, all the books on each in our library I did this so you can see how ironically similar faiths are.

As far as values go, that can be very personal and most faiths have a common thread of respect and kindness to each other. There are radical groups that have instilled their own very personal beliefs and spun them into their faith as fact, but that is not the case.

Religious freedom is a wonderful cause and for us it is a little harder, never stop fighting for what you believe in. But there is a delicate balance, if you want your religion to be accepted than you also have to accept others.

There is no exception in this, you can’t carry a flag on your shoulder with Wicca on it and not expect opposition, not yet anyway. However you must not carry the flag just to create opposition. Pick your battles choose venues that you can make a real difference in and choose to speak your mind just as you did, calmly and with respect. I am so proud of you.

I have a daughter in a University who had gone to a rally of Protestants on the school grounds who were there to save all their souls. Showing me a video off a digital camera that had recorded the whole event, I watched and this is what I saw and the exchange that followed.

Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh.

Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections
(including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wrenâ€™s Nest, etc.)
are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witchesâ€™ Voice, Inc.
TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.

The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.